{"id":529,"date":"2015-08-30T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-08-30T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/?p=529"},"modified":"2015-08-22T23:08:33","modified_gmt":"2015-08-23T04:08:33","slug":"what-does-the-bible-say-about-the-lostness-of-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hanoverbaptistchurch.org\/blogpastor\/2015\/what-does-the-bible-say-about-the-lostness-of-man\/","title":{"rendered":"What does the Bible say about the lostness of man?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As it is written; “There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one”…. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:10–12, 23—NKJV)<\/cite> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Gospel good news that God has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world means nothing to someone who mistakenly thinks that he is a good person and God duty-bound to approve of him because he is generally a good guy. The total blindness and inability of man to discern his eternal jeopardy is a crucial area for biblical instruction. It seems the older a man becomes the harder he seems to grow in his spiritual insensitivity. If he starts on an evil track early he only becomes confirmed in his evil ways sooner. What little inkling there may be available to him in the creation around him concerning his Creator is quickly drowned out by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). All manner of superstitions rule the heart of men when God\u2019s truth is absent. <\/p>\n

So what is the believer to do in order to awaken a superstition-sated sinner to the impending judgment of God? How can a man\u2019s soul be alerted to his \u201clostness\u201d so that he might fully appreciate the bounty found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ? It will be a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31, 12:29). It is a recurring theme in the Bible that all will one day be revealed (Revelation 20:11–15). There will be nowhere to hide, no remedy, and no grace period. A man must first recognize he is lost in order to realize his condition and be prompted into action. Our text is an excellent starting point. <\/p>\n

It is actually the first mile marker along what is known as the \u201cRoman\u2019s Road\u201d of salvation. All men are lost, without exception—lost to heaven, to the cause of goodness and to fulfilling their task of bringing glory to their Creator. \u201cThere is none who is righteous…for all have sinned!\u201d(vv. 10, 23). <\/p>\n

Most people who would justify themselves begin to quibble with you when it is revealed to them that God views all men as equally in need, regardless of station, virtue, religion, and \u201cgoodness.\u201d For this reason Paul continues to prove that every man needs the Savior. He teaches us that the state of a man\u2019s righteousness is God\u2019s call. For this reason Paul says, \u201cAs it is written\u201d all men fail to rise to the perfect standard of righteousness established by God. Romans 5:12 explains how this happens to every single man on earth: \u201cTherefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.\u201d <\/p>\n

Because we are all sons of Adam and because we sin from our earliest days until this very hour, confirms our unrighteousness. Hence, Paul says, \u201cThere is none righteous, no, not one.\u201d Every single person on this earth is at a huge deficit in perfection before God. Paul continues quoting from Psalms and from Isaiah in order to illustrate our shortcomings (vv. 11–12). I have added a practical question God may be able to use to awaken a sinner to his lostness. <\/p>\n